About

SICK TO DEATH! A Film About Thyroid Disease & Corruption

$32,116

pledged of $10,000 goal

509

backers

As one part of a multi-platform advocacy project, Sick to Death! was born from filmmaker Maggie Hadleigh-West's life-long experience with thyroid disease and tells the universal story of day-to-day life with chronic illness, it’s collision with the medical corruption that hinders healing – and seeks medical justice for millions of individuals worldwide.

First Goal: REACHED!! $10,000 will fund completion of the ROUGH CUT, when the edit is looking good, but still needs other technical and creative work to perfect picture and sound quality.

Second Goal: $35,000 will take us to FILM COMPLETION, covering the other expensive costs of post-production, which include: color correction, sound design, original music composition, and sound mixing and mastering.

Final Goal: $50,000 will take us into DISTRIBUTION, covering required administrational and legal costs, film festival submission fees, printing and packaging DVDs, and more expenses that we must cover before the film is released in theaters, and on television and DVD. Reaching this last goal means we’ll also be able to make it available online faster – and we hope to offer it online using a “pay-what-you-can” payment model, too!

We believe that the information this film will convey is critically important, and patients should have access to it as soon as possible. If we reach the goal of $50,000, the film will be finished and released more quickly, giving patients information they need and deserve sooner, and potentially restoring the health of millions of people worldwide.

"Once you turn your attention to thyroid disease, you'll understand that everywhere you look, someone you know or love is suffering from this illness and its myriad of symptoms. Even more frightening, this disease is the undercurrent of many other commonplace "illnesses" whose root causes are not being treated.

And then there is systemic suppression of pre-existing medical information, including: recognition of obvious physical symptoms, which used to be commonplace knowledge and is no longer taught, published medical textbooks that thoroughly explore thyroid disease and its related illnesses that are no longer utilized, hundreds of studies that have been conducted but are ignored, tests that are rarely utilized which more accurately detect the disease, and a century-old naturally derived medication that is available-yet denied to patients. And all of this suppression is done in the name of commerce.

Our job in Sick to Death!, is to bring awareness of these issues to the public, expose the problems that surround this epidemic and hold accountable the industry that is thwarting the health of millions of people worldwide."

In the feature-length documentary, Sick to Death!, filmmaker Maggie Hadleigh-West exposes her own disturbing, yet determined 30-year struggle to regain her spiraling health. After seeing hundreds of
doctors who either disregarded her symptoms, misdiagnosed or under-treated her,
Maggie discovers that her thyroid problem was a fully understood medical issue as early as the 1940’s, but today leaves more than
59 million people sick and suffering in the US – many of them are undiagnosed.

At once a deeply intimate portrait and a rousing invitation
to seize life and health to the fullest, Sick to Death! will invite audiences
to turn their diagnoses into a call to arms.

WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP

The Guggenheim
Foundation awarded Maggie a grant in 2013/14 for Sick to Death!, but this award only covered the costs
of production – paying a team of professional filmmakers to shoot film and
audio for close to 12 months, and the creation of the advocacy web
project: www.sick2death.com.

We conducted 52 interviews between New Orleans, New York City,
Ithica, Boston and Los Angeles – 92 hours of footage in total! – and began editing
in January. We plan to finish the film
in time for the Sundance Film Festival submission deadline in September – but
we’ll need your help to get there.

Your contributions to
our $10,000 goal will go specifically toward the first phase of editing – making
“assemblies,” crafting scenes, and finishing a rough cut. However, our Sick
to Death! Kickstarter has a 3-Part
Objective: First to raise the minimum funds needed to craft the story, second to
finish the film completely, and third to distribute it.

THE REWARDS

Risks and challenges

We believe that the information that Sick to Death! will convey is critically important to patient health. It is imperative, therefore, that we get to DISTRIBUTION in a timely fashion: That way, patients can get the help they need as quickly as possible, and the public and medical community can fully comprehend the complications surrounding thyroid disease.

We are making every effort to continue editing to get to FILM COMPLETION and DISTRIBUTION, but if we only make our first stated Kickstarter goal of $10,000, it's possible that the the film may not be available when we hoped.

To mitigate these risks, we will continue to fundraise for the film and work diligently towards our final goal of $50,000. We’ll also allow supporters to continue to give donations – EVEN PAST THE KICKSTARTER DEADLINE. Should the project make more than $50,000, I assure you, those funds can be utilized to further propel the film out into the world and create the change we know is possible!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $35 or more
About $35

DOUBLE FEATURE DOWNLOAD
We'll send you two movie downloads: SICK TO DEATH and Maggie's powerful WAR ZONE documentary! We'll also give you a Facebook shout-out and a unique high-quality SICK TO DEATH! digital image.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $35 or more
About $35

PLAYER HATING POSTER
We'll send you a download of SICK TO DEATH!, another download PLUS A POSTER of Maggie's second documentary, PLAYER HATING: A LOVE STORY. We'll also give you a shout-out on Facebook and send you a high-quality digital image from the project!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $85 or more
About $85

DOUBLE FEATURE
We'll send you the SICK TO DEATH! DVD, plus a digital download of Maggie's award-winning documentary, "Player Hating: A Love Story," as well as give you a shout-out on Facebook and a unique high-quality SICK TO DEATH! digital image.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

NEW REWARD!

GETTING WELL & SPREADING THE WORD
You'll get a free, 30-minute telephone coaching consultation with nationally-known patient advocate and author Mary Shomon, valued at $100, PLUS the SICK TO DEATH! DVD, the shout-out, and high-quality digital image. It's your opportunity to support SICK TO DEATH! and get on track with your own thyroid questions.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

BRONZE DOCTOR SPONSOR
Do you support the Thyroid Patient Community? Are you willing to prescribe Natural Desiccated Thyroid and/or T3 supplementation for patients? Become a backer of the film and the community, and we’ll include your name and contact information for your clinic or practice on our Doctor Sponsors page at www.sick2death.com as a Bronze level Sponsor! You’ll also get a SICK TO DEATH! DVD, a unique high-quality digital image from the project, and a Facebook shout-out.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

YOU'RE GETTIN' FAMOUS
Your name will be in the film credits! We'll give a special thank you to you at the end of the film, and we'll also send you the SICK TO DEATH! DVD, give you a Facebook shout-out and send the unique high-quality image from the project.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

SILVER DOCTOR SPONSOR
Do you support the Thyroid Patient Community? Are you willing to prescribe Natural Desiccated Thyroid and/or T3 supplementation for patients? Become a backer of the film and the community, and we’ll include your name and contact information for your clinic or practice on our Doctor Sponsors page at www.sick2death.com as a Silver level Sponsor! You’ll also get a SICK TO DEATH! DVD, a unique high-quality digital image from the project, and a Facebook shout-out.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $800 or more
About $800

VIP TICKETS TO PREMIERE
You'll get two VIP movie passes to the film premiere (TBA), plus your name in the credits! We will also give you a Facebook shout-out, and send you the SICK TO DEATH! DVD and high-quality digital image from the project.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

PRIVATE SCREENING
You and a guest will get a private screening before the premiere with Maggie and the team in New Orleans! You'll also get your name in the film credits (!!!), the SICK TO DEATH! DVD, the Facebook shout-out, and the unique high-quality image from the project.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

GOLD DOCTOR SPONSOR
Do you support the Thyroid Patient Community? Are you willing to prescribe Natural Desiccated Thyroid and/or T3 supplementation to your patients? Become a backer of the film and the community, and we’ll include your name with a photo and bio, and contact information for your clinic or practice on our Doctor Sponsors page at www.sick2death.com as a Gold level Sponsor! You’ll also get YOUR NAME IN THE CREDITS as a Gold Doctor Sponsor, a SICK TO DEATH! DVD, a unique high-quality digital image from the project, and a Facebook shout-out.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,500 or more
About $1,500

BE A FILMMAKER FOR A DAY
Come to an exclusive focus group screening of the film! Watch the rough cut (work in progress) and share your thoughts and ideas with Maggie and a small group of filmmakers in New Orleans (or join us on Skype). In addition, we will put your name in the credits (!!!), send you the SICK TO DEATH! DVD and high-quality digital image from the project, and give you a Facebook shout-out!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,000 or more
About $2,000

PRIVATE SCREENING WITH YOUR'S TRULY
Maggie and the team will host a private screening for you and a guest before the film premieres, then take you out for a fancy dinner in New Orleans. You'll also get your name in the film credits (!!!), the SICK TO DEATH! DVD, a Facebook shout-out, and the high-quality digital image from the project.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,500 or more
About $2,500

ROSE GOLD DOCTOR SPONSOR
Do you support the Thyroid Patient Community? Are you willing to prescribe Natural Desiccated Thyroid and/or T3 supplementation to your patients? Become a backer of the film and the community, and we’ll include your name with a photo and bio, and the contact information for your clinic or practice on our Doctor Sponsors page at www.sick2death.com as a Rose Gold level Sponsor. You’ll also get YOUR NAME IN THE CREDITS and on the DVD packaging as a Platinum Doctor Sponsor, plus a SICK TO DEATH! DVD, a unique high-quality digital image from the project, and a Facebook shout-out.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $3,000 or more
About $3,000

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER CREDIT
WOW! You're awesome, so we're going to give you a shared ASSOCIATE PRODUCER film credit at the end of the film – and you and a guest are invited to a private screening with Maggie and the team in New Orleans before the premiere! We will give you a Facebook shout-out, and send you the SICK TO DEATH! DVD and high-quality digital image from the project, too.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

BACK-END PRODUCER CREDIT
We're going to give you a shared PRODUCER film credit at the end of the film – plus you and a guest can attend a private screening with Maggie and the team in New Orleans before the premiere! We will give you a Facebook shout-out, and send the SICK TO DEATH! DVD and high-quality digital image from the project, too.

**Get a front-end EXECUTIVE PRODUCER credit by contributing a total of $25,000! Contact us for more details.**

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

PLATINUM DOCTOR SPONSOR
Do you support the Thyroid Patient Community? Are you willing to prescribe Natural Desiccated Thyroid and/or T3 supplementation to your patients? Become a backer of the film and the community, and we’ll include your name with a photo and bio, and the contact information for your clinic or practice on our Doctor Sponsors page at www.sick2death.com as a Platinum level Sponsor. You’ll also get YOUR NAME IN THE CREDITS and on the DVD packaging as a Platinum Doctor Sponsor, plus a SICK TO DEATH! DVD, a unique high-quality digital image from the project, and a Facebook shout-out.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $10,000
About $10,000

FRONT-END PRODUCER CREDIT
WOW! You're awesome, so we're going to give you a shared PRODUCER film credit at the beginning of the film – and you and a guest are invited to a private screening with Maggie and the team in New Orleans before the premiere! We will give you a Facebook shout-out, and send you the SICK TO DEATH! DVD and high-quality digital image from the project, too. :)

**Increase your contribution to a total of $25,000 and you'll become an EXECUTIVE PRODUCER! Contact us for more details.**